


And Then There Was One

by LailaLiquorice



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Sickfic, erin becomes the ultimate mom friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LailaLiquorice/pseuds/LailaLiquorice
Summary: It quickly became apparent that ghosts didn't like the cold any more than humans did; calls had all but dried up completely when the snowfall hit. With no end to the blizzard in sight, the Ghostbusters were enjoying a rare period of rest and relaxation.It didn't last long.Or:The whole team gets sick apart from Erin and she has to look after them all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Completely jumping on the bandwagon here, since sickfics seem to be really common in this fandom. Not that I am complaining since they are my favourite brand of fluff/hurt/comfort.

December had only just arrived when temperatures really plummeted in New York City, and it quickly became apparent that ghosts didn't like the cold any more than humans did. Kevin had gone home to spend the month with his family, so Erin was glad that calls had all but dried up completely when the snowfall hit. With no end of the blizzard in sight, the Ghostbusters had been enjoying a rare period of rest and relaxation.

It didn't last long.

Erin first noticed something was off when she arrived in the kitchen from her morning shower to discover it empty. She was usually greeted by Holtz tucking into a massive stack of French toast at the table- or pancakes, since it was winter. The plastic tubs from their Chinese takeaway the previous night were still scattered around the kitchen, which wasn't unusual since it was usually Erin who ended up clearing them away the next morning. But what was unusual was that the whole second floor was deserted.

At the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs she turned, wondering if Holtz was behind her, though remembered that Holtz always used the fire pole just as Abby came into view. "Hey Abby, have you seen Holtz this morning?"

"She's not already up?" Abby asked, instantly concerned. Erin shook her head. "Alright, you go check her desk while I make breakfast. She might have just pulled an all-nighter."

Hoping that Abby was right, Erin headed over to the other side of the second floor. There were none of the clunking sounds and sparks that usually accompanied Holtz while she was working at a new invention, which did nothing to ease Erin's nerves. The relief at seeing Holtz' blond curls at her desk was short lived when Erin realised she wasn't moving, slumped over whatever she had been working on the night before.

"Holtz?" Erin called out, rushing over and laying a hand on her shoulder. "Holtz, are you ok?"

As soon as Erin's hand made contact with her shoulder, Holtz lifted her head with a pained groan. "Don't feel well," she mumbled, just as Erin noticed the heat practically rolling off her in waves. "Think I've got the plague."

Erin glanced back towards the kitchen, estimating the distance and wondering whether she'd be able to drag Holtz that far. Deciding her options were fairly limited, she pulled one of Holtz's arms around her shoulders and used the other hand to pull her up by the waist. Holtz's weight swaying into her when she stood caught Erin off guard, but she managed to correct herself before they both crashed to the floor. Keeping her grip on Holtz tight, Erin slowly walked her over to the kitchen where Abby was humming a Christmas tune as she washed up a saucepan.

"Did you find he- oh God what's wrong with her?" said Abby, abandoning her washing up.

Dumping Holtz unceremoniously on the nearest sofa, Erin gave a sigh. "I don't know, but she's definitely got a fever. It's probably the flu."

Without warning, Holtz lurched into a sitting position, one hand on her stomach and the other over her mouth. She just about managed to stay on her feet as she sprinted into the kitchen, skidding slightly as she stopped in front of the sink and was violently sick.

"My saucepan!" Abby cried, throwing her hands into the air.

"What about your saucepan? Did Holtzy melt it again or something?"

Erin glanced towards the stairs as Patty made her appearance, yawning widely. She had never been good at mornings. "No, she just vomited into it."

Taking in the sight of Holtz who was slowly sinking to the floor while hanging on to the kitchen worktop, Patty said "That is not what I wanted to hear. It's too early for this shit."

Abby was fumbling in the cupboard for disinfectant spray, so Erin and Patty approached the near-comatose Holtz. "You ok baby?" Patty asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Everything hurts," Holtz whimpered, releasing the worktop and falling back to land her head in Patty's lap.

Erin glanced from Holtz to Patty. "Should we take her upstairs?"

"Nah, we can keep an eye on her better if she's down here." Patty pointed out as she picked up Holtz, cradling her like a baby. "Jesus, you're crazy light."

"Oh I need to have a photo of this," Abby laughed, whipping her phone out from the pocket of her jeans.

After waiting long enough for Abby to take her picture, Patty carried Holtz over to their makeshift living room and laid her down on one of the sofas. "Thanks, Pattycakes," Holtz murmured, giving her a sloppy two-fingered salute.

Erin found a thick woollen throw in the box of blankets they used for movie nights, draping it over Holtz before crouching at her eye level. "Is there anything we can get you?" she asked gently.

"New stomach, this one's done in," Holtz groaned, curling in on herself.

As if to prove a point she was suddenly gagging again, struggling to get herself upright as Erin scotched backwards to avoid being vomited over. She needn't have worried though, since Abby dived over the coffee table with a waste basket in hand with absolutely perfect timing. Erin took the bin from Abby so she could clamber off the coffee table, holding it still while Holtz threw up and Patty gently held back her hair.

"Abby's the mom-friend, I vote she's in charge," Patty said immediately after Holtz had finished. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Erin couldn't help laughing at Abby's incoherent protests. "You think either of us has the power to head dive at the right angle to catch flying vomit? Nuh-uh man, this one's yours."

"What-I-urgh," Abby muttered to herself, roughly taking the bin back from Erin and marching towards the bathroom.

Erin helped Holtz lie back down, tucking the blanket tightly around her shivering form as she said "I'll go and get you a glass of water, you need to keep hydrated."

"I'll stay with her, got some reading I can do," Patty offered, brandishing the newly published history journal she had told Erin about last night as she sat down by Holtz's feet.

Abby returned from the bathroom and placed the bin in front of Holtz, within easy reach of the sick engineer, before she and Erin headed back over to the kitchen. "I don't think it's regular flu, not with her being sick like that," Erin wondered aloud, "Food poisoning, maybe?"

Now thoroughly drowning the unlucky saucepan in disinfectant spray, Abby shook her head. "Bennie might have issues with his wonton-to-soup ratios, but there's never been any problem with hygiene. If it's just a stomach bug then she'll be fine with just rest and regular nutrition."

"Whatever you say, mom-friend," Erin smirked, ducking just in time to avoid being sprayed in the face with disinfectant.

Once they'd had breakfast, sat around the coffee table so not to leave Holtz by herself, Patty stayed reading with Holtz while Erin and Abby embarked on the gargantuan task of cleaning the firehouse. They were taking full advantage of the fact that Holtz was unable to create mess faster than they could clean it up, so the kitchen was getting its first proper scrub since they moved in. Abby had turned on the radio to give them some background music, not so loud as to disturb Holtz or Patty but loud enough to give them something to dance to.

Erin twirled around the kitchen, wiping the worktop as she did so, while Abby did a tentative jive atop a stool as she dusted above the cupboards. All cleaning was forgotten when an old favourite song of theirs was played, one that had topped the charts while they were first writing their book. Wooden spoons became microphones as they pretended to sing like superstars, and Erin felt like she had instantly shed nearly two decades.

Her nostalgia was interrupted by the abrupt slamming of the bathroom door, and the sound of someone being sick into the toilet. Sighing exasperatedly, Abby yelled "Holtz, I gave you the bin so you wouldn't have to make mad dashes to the toilet every half-hour!" in the direction of the bathroom.

"Sorry to contradict, but that's not me," called a voice, harsh and raspy but definitely Holtz's. Erin looked towards the living room area, where a pale hand was waving sluggishly above one of the sofas. If Holtz was still on the sofa, then the person being sick in the bathroom was-

"Oh boy," Abby groaned, voicing Erin's thoughts exactly.


	2. Chapter 2

It turned out that Patty was a very different sort of patient to Holtz. While Holtz was increasingly clingy, which Erin found particularly endearing, Patty was the type to just plank on a sofa all day and let out monotonous moaning sounds whenever she was feeling especially bad. All Patty needed to keep her going was sleep and food, whereas Holtz needed companionship.

Not that Erin minded, of course.

Cleaning day very quickly turned into movie day, since it was unlikely that the firehouse was going to remain sanitary with two sick people there. Abby and Erin managed to drag the mattresses from all their bedrooms down the stairs, which was much easier for Abby than it was for Erin. They had initially tried shoving one through the hole for the fire pole, letting gravity do the work for them, but abandoned that idea after it got well and truly stuck. Erin didn't find out until much later that Patty had recorded the whole episode of Erin and Abby trying to pull a mattress through the ceiling on her phone.

"There," Abby said, wiping a hand over her forehead, "that's done. God, it's hot in here."

Erin frowned slightly, having not noticed any change in temperature. She was about to say something when a whimper from Holtz distracted her, making a mental note to question Abby later. Kneeling beside Holtz, Erin touched the back of her hand to Holtz's forehead and was alarmed by the clammy heat she could feel.

"She's practically burning up, we need to cool her down again," she said, hurrying into the kitchen with Abby just behind her. Fear was rising in her chest, though her logic told her that she was going to be fine. After rinsing a cloth under the tap, she turned around to find Abby emerging from the freezer with two bags of frozen peas. "Why?" Erin asked, one eyebrow raised.

Abby didn't respond immediately, but lifted up one of Holtz's arms and pressed a bag of frozen peas under her armpit. After doing the same with the other bag, she explained "It'll get her cool much quicker."

"We do have to eat those, you know," Erin pointed out a little exasperatedly, though she could see the sense in the idea.

"Well then we'll just have to put up with peas covered in Holtz sweat when we have our Christmas dinner."

Grimacing slightly at Abby's declaration, Erin sat down beside Holtz and peeled a few blond curls from her sticky forehead. She squirmed slightly as the cloth was wiped across her brow, though relaxed when Erin placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's just me, don't worry," she said softly.

Holtz cracked open one brilliant blue eye to look up at Erin. "My knight in tiny bowties," she murmured, moving so her head was in Erin's lap. Erin smiled softly; ignoring the warm feeling in her stomach at Holtz’s comment.

A clicking sound made Erin look up to see Abby with her phone out again. "You two look so adorable," she sighed, giving Erin a dramatic wink and massive grin.

Erin rolled her eyes, ordering herself not to blush scarlet. Having become somewhat of a human pillow, she stayed with Holtz as Abby checked on Patty. She was clearly feeling the opposite to Holtz, having pulled her duvet right up to her nose, so Abby went back to the kitchen to find her a hot water bottle. After a few minutes Erin deemed it safe to remove the frozen peas from Holtz’s armpits, passing them to Abby so she could put them back in the freezer after being wiped down. Holtz had fallen asleep on Erin’s lap, splayed out on her back with her mouth slightly open, but Erin was more than happy to stay with her and keep her forehead cool.

When her leg started to go numb she tried to shift out from underneath Holtz's head, but managed to wake her up in the process. "Sorry," Erin said quietly, aware that Patty was still asleep, "how are you feeling?"

Holtz blinked groggily for a moment or two, seemingly unaware of where she was before she lunged blindly for the bin. Erin passed it to her and she hunched over it, heaving dryly for a few minutes before flopping back into Erin's lap. "Thanks," she croaked, seeming on the verge of tears.

"Shh, it's fine," Erin soothed, gently smoothing back her hair. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"Blanket, 'm'cold," came the mumbled response.

Erin eased her legs out from under Holt's upper body so she could fetch a duvet, then went into the kitchen to find another hot water bottle. Abby was just appearing at the top of the stairs, wearing her thickest coat and carrying a takeaway bag. "I didn't realise you'd gone," she said, glancing over.

"I thought we could do with some comfort food," Abby explained, putting the takeaway bag down on the table as she peeled her scarf off. "And I needed some fresh air, it's seriously stuffy in here."

Erin paused; that was the second time Abby had commented on the heat which Erin just wasn’t noticing. “Do you think so?” she asked, trying to appear casual, “I wouldn’t say so.”

Abby gave her an odd look. “Don’t you? God, I hope you’re not getting sick. I remember that time back in college when you had glandular fever and I had to look after your sick ass for almost a month.”

Grimacing, Erin shook her head slightly. “Don’t remind me. And all because that drunken guy kissed me in the café on finals morning when I served him his coffee.”

“Men, who needs them,” floated Holtz’s voice from her sofa, making both Erin and Abby burst into laughter. “Need a hot water bottle though.”

“I’ve got it here, don’t worry,” Erin called, “Patty, has yours gone cold yet?”

Patty let out an unintelligible sound, her voice completely muffled by sofa cushion.

Leaving their lunch semi-unwrapped, Abby took the hot water bottle from Erin. “I’ll give this to Holtz and check Patty can breathe with her face in that cushion. D’you mind getting bowls out? It’s making my glasses steam up.”

Erin nodded, getting two bowls and spoons for her stir-fry noodles and Abby’s wonton soup.  There was also a bag of prawn crackers with the takeaway food, which Erin presumed were for Holtz and Patty to snack on if they felt up to it. She tipped the prawn crackers into another bowl before picking up all three, the skills she had learned as a café waitress coming in handy, and taking them over to the living room.

With Patty lying across the smaller sofa and Holtz taking up most of the other, Abby and Erin sat cross-legged on a mattress with their bowls in their laps. Erin passed Patty a cracker whenever she asked for one, but Abby had limited Holtz to sips of water only since she’d been sick more recently. Her brief complaints had been silenced when Erin found a leftover curly straw for her from their first meal in the firehouse (Patty had suggested fancy drinks so Holtz had insisted on the straws to go with them) at the back of the cutlery drawer.

“Now doesn’t this remind you of college?” Abby asked, grinning.

Erin smiled and nodded; most of their papers had been written while sat on the floor with Chinese takeaway spread out around them. “I think both our bachelors can be credited to the power of Chinese food and red bull,” she recalled.

Abby let out a snort of laughter. “The first draft of our book was fuelled entirely on wonton soup and stir-fry noodles, if you remember.”

“You telling me your Chinese orders haven’t changed in nearly 20 years?” Patty asked, holding out her hand.

“We’re creatures of habit,” Erin proclaimed, passing Patty a cracker.

Their conversation quietened as Abby turned on the TV to find a Christmas film just starting. Once it had ended she reached out on instinct to take Abby’s bowl from her so she could put them both in the kitchen, but was surprised to see it still mostly full. Erin could count on one hand the number of times Abby had ordered wonton soup but not finished it within 10 minutes.

“I take it that soup really wasn’t up to scratch?” she asked, before looking up at Abby. That was when Erin’s spirits hit the ground; she had gone very pale, and there was a band of shiny sweat across her forehead. “Abby? Are you ok?”

Abby didn’t answer for a moment, taking a deep breath before turning her head to meet Erin’s gaze. “I think…” she trailed off uncertainly.

Erin could already see what was coming. “Are you going to be sick?” she asked, reaching towards the bin.

“Uh… yeah.” Erin passed Abby the bin and she was promptly sick into it, shaking so hard that Erin wondered if she’d been feeling ill since she first commented on the temperature. After a couple of minutes she stopped, breathing heavily as she moaned “It’s almost enough to put you off wontons for life!”

Erin smirked, putting the bin on the floor where she would deal with it later. “Nothing can keep you away from wontons for more than a day. Now come on, you need to get some rest.”

The Abby that Erin knew didn't ever admit to being unwell without protest, unless she was feeling absolutely miserable, so the fact she nodded without complaint was a testament to how ill she was. Taking Erin’s hands for support she sat down on the other end of Holtz’s sofa, drawing her legs up beside her and resting her head on the arm.

Holtz shifted slightly as Abby’s foot brushed hers, looking up at Erin with a weak grin. “Three down, one to go, eh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left comments and kudos on the last chapter! I never expected this to be so popular, and all the feedback is greatly appreciated :)


	3. Chapter 3

Erin had plenty of past experience when it came to dealing with a sick Abby, and every incident had two things in common.

Firstly, she would refuse to admit she was sick until she was practically on death's door. That had become apparent from the time back in college when she’d insisted her stomach pains were cramps, until she passed out in agony in the middle of a lecture. After being rushed to hospital it was revealed she had a burst appendix that required emergency surgery and a weeklong hospital stay, both of which could have been avoided if she’d given into Erin’s pleas to get checked over.

Secondly, when she finally did admit to being sick, she was an absolute nightmare to look after.

“Eriiiiiiiiin?” croaked Abby, her voice loud despite the fact that Erin was literally sat just in front of where she hadn’t moved from the sofa. Holtz had managed to stay on despite Abby now taking up most of the room, curled up like a cat and snoring softly. “Eriiiiiiiiiiiin!”

Resisting the urge to groan loudly, Erin turned to see Abby’s face millimeters away from her own. “What do you want, Abby?”

“Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh.”

“I don’t speak alien, Abby.” Erin said, unable to keep the flatness out of her voice.

Abby cracked a tiny smile. “Hot water bottle?”

Erin nodded, taking the one that had fallen out of Holtz’s grip when she’d dropped off to sleep as well as the now-warm cloth she’d used to bring Holtz’s fever down. She filled up the hot water bottle and dampened the cloth in the kitchen, before returning to the living room. Abby had rolled onto her back, arms crossed over her torso and a pained expression on her face.

“Here,” Erin said, passing Abby the hot water bottle which she clasped tightly to her stomach. “Do you think she can manage some water?”

There was a moment’s pause before Abby nodded, slowly sitting up as Erin picked up a glass of water from the coffee table. After a few sips she lay back down, her glasses slipping off one ear to hang crookedly across her nose. Abby batted half-heartedly at them with one hand; taking the hint, Erin slid them off and placed them on the coffee table. “Thanks,” Abby murmured, before breaking off in a massive yawn.

Erin smiled, the prospect of getting some rest herself finally becoming more a reality. Laying the damp cloth over Abby’s forehead, she said “Leave that there and try and get some sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“God, I hope so,” was the last thing Abby said, before she was asleep almost instantly.

With the living room quiet for the first time in hours, Erin allowed her shoulders to sag and a small sigh escaped her lips. She didn’t know where the day had gone, but suddenly it was dark outside and she was getting tired herself. Although she loved her friends dearly and didn’t mind looking after them one bit, she couldn’t deny that it had been an exhausting day. Drawing the curtains, she switched on the Christmas tree lights before flicking off the light switch to give the living room a soft glow.

“Hey,” a voice broke the silence, and Erin looked around to see Patty awake again. “You’ve been an angel all day, now get some sleep before you get sick yourself.”

Erin laughed shortly. “I probably will before long anyway. Thank though, Patty.”

Since her mattress was somewhere on the floor she knew she’d be sleeping in the living room- she’d already brought her pillow and duvet down in preparation. Deciding she couldn’t be bothered to change from her sweatpants and hoodie into pajamas, she picked a spot beneath the light from the Christmas tree and lay down.

It couldn’t have been more than an hour before something poking her in the ribs woke Erin up, and she opened her eyes to see Holtz looking down at her. “I thought you fell asleep hours ago, did you need something?” Erin asked blearily, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

“Abby’s kicking me,” Holtz whispered, and Erin knew from past experience of sharing a bed with Abby that she was probably right. “Can I sleep with you?”

Erin could feel the blush spreading across her face, but it took Holtz a moment or two to work out what she had said. “Not like that, Gilbert… or not tonight anyway,” she winked. “No, I just… please?”

There was that vulnerability again, that she had seen fleetingly earlier that day when Holtz had nearly cried in her lap. The soft tree lights illuminated her flushed cheeks and shone on her blonde curls, and Erin was struck for the umpteenth time by how beautiful she really was. Conscious not to be caught staring, she merely lifted up the corner of the duvet and murmured “Of course.”

Holtz didn’t need any further invitation, snuggling into Erin’s side and letting out a contented sigh. When her breathing evened out not long later it was clear she was asleep. Erin stayed awake a while longer, breathing in scent of engine oil that always seemed to linger around Holtz, and feeling the heat radiating from her body. When she did eventually fall asleep, to the sounds of cars in the distant and the soft whisper of Holtz’s breathing, Erin could scarcely remember feeling so at ease.

* * *

 

The first thing Erin noticed when she awoke the next morning was the lack of warmth by her side. Then she became aware that Holtz was gone, the realization making her jolt upright in shock. Abby and Patty were both still asleep, sprawled out on their respective sofas, but Holtz was nowhere to be seen.

Erin struggled to her feet, wincing as her head collided with a bauble on the Christmas tree. Holtz wasn’t in the kitchen either, and the sight of the open bathroom door meant she wasn’t showering either. It was only then that Erin became aware of a faint whirring sound coming from the labs- it was such a common sound in the firehouse that Erin’s brain had started to recognize it as usual background noise. Mentally cursing Holtz, Erin hurried into the lab to find the engineer sat at her desk with electronic sander in hand. It took a couple of attempts until Holtz heard her name being called over the grinding of sandpaper over metal, but upon noticing Erin she switched off her sander with a cheerful smile.

“Mornin’. Sleep well?”

“Yes, fine, but what are you doing?” Erin asked, her frustration now tinged with exasperation.

Holtz looked at her oddly for a second, as if Erin had asked her why the sky was blue. “Trying to clean this metal, but the grime’s stubborn today. Maybe this will help.”

Before Erin could ask what she was referring to, Holtz had picked up her blowtorch and was aiming it at the metal. “No! Not while you’re sick, you’ll burn the place down!”

“Don’t be a worrywart, I could use this baby in my sleep.” Holtz said in what Erin thought was probably an attempt to reassure her. “Just can’t get my hands to stay still.”

Noticing for the first time how much Holtz’s hands were shaking, Erin reached over and took the blowtorch off of her. “Not today,” she said firmly, putting it down out of Holtz’s reach.

“Alriiiight,” Holtz sighed, giving Erin a grin. But there was a slight shallowness to her voice, and when Erin looked closely she could see Holtz’ forehead and around the collar of her vest top were awash with sweat.

"Holtz?" Erin said, waiting until she had the engineer's attention before continuing. "When was the last time you ate something?"

Her head tilting slightly in thought, it took Holtz longer than usual to come up with an answer. "Um… before I got ill, so… today's Wednesday, right?" Erin nodded. "So that'd make it… Monday evening."

Erin sighed. "That's far too long to go without eating. Do you still feel sick?"

Holtz shook her head, then reeled slightly in obvious dizziness. "Nah, I'm good. Come on, let's grab some food. Then I'll have a go at cleaning that metal again."

She jumped out of her seat, swaying slightly, and Erin gently took hold of her elbow to steady her as they left the lab and made their way over to the kitchen. Holtz was straight in the cupboard, pulling out the box of Froot Loops and filling a bowl. Then she grabbed a spoon, hopped up onto the worktop to sit, and started eating ravenously.

"Don't eat that fast,” Erin exclaimed, waving her hands frantically.

She was too late; Holtz had already finished, with a triumphant grin plastered across her face. "See, I was just hungry. To the lab!"

But halfway between the lab and the kitchen, the smile fell from Holtz's face. Her lips pressed close together and she held her stomach with both hands, hunching over slightly. She inhaled deeply and looked up, hesitating a second before turning back in the direction of the kitchen. It was clear her goal had been to get to the sink, but she managed to stagger all of three steps before she was on her knees and heaving violently onto the floorboards.

“Oh Holtz,” Erin sighed, though her former exasperation was replaced by sympathy at the mere sight of her. She darted over to the living room and grabbed the bin, which had thankfully remained empty since she’d last washed it out, then held it underneath Holtz’s chin until she had finished. After a few more minutes she looked up at Erin with blue eyes wide, shuddering and gasping for breath.

Deciding her first priority was moving Holtz, Erin wrapped an arm around her waist to gently guide her to her feet and towards the living room. Holtz was clinging to her like a lifeline, barely able to support her own weight. Once onto the mattresses they sunk to the floor, Holtz slumping exhaustedly into Erin’s chest with a pitiful whimper. She had started to shake again, sweat beading on her forehead, and Erin couldn’t think of anything to do other than hold her tight to comfort her.

“You see why I told you to eat slower?” Erin whispered in her ear once her trembling had subsided a little.

Holtz nodded. “Holtzy sorry,” she murmured almost inaudibly.

“You wanna put her up here?” Patty had woken and was now sat up on the sofa, looking remarkably well. Between the two of them they managed to lift a limp Holtz onto the sofa, laying her down in what Erin hoped was a comfortable position.

“How come you’ve recovered so quickly?” Erin asked Patty, draping a blanket over Holtz and sitting down next to her head. Holtz shuffled up so her head was on Erin’s knee; Erin smiled subconsciously and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Girl, I worked in the subway for a long time. The whole germ population of New York passes by down there, so my immune system is on point.”

Erin laughed at how proud Patty seemed of that fact, before groaning at the memory of the undigested Froot Loops still on the floor. “I’ve still got to clear up Holtz’s vomit,” she said, attempting to life Holtz’s head clear of her lap without disturbing her.

Shaking her head, Patty pushed Erin back into her seat. “You’ve cleared up more sick these 24 hours than I’ve done in a decade. I can manage this.”

“Thanks Patty,” Erin smiled, trying not to look too relieved.

“It’s alright, I owe you one anyway,” Patty shrugged, before a mischievous grin lit her face. “Besides, you’re looking pretty comfortable there, if ya know what I mean.”

Erin could feel her face reddening instantly, and Patty’s resultant laughter was loud enough to wake the dead. But not, to Erin’s relief, loud enough to wake Abby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly longer wait, I've was in Germany for a week and only got back on Tuesday. I've also been ill with something similar to what Holtz, Abby and Patty have here since I returned, which has been pretty miserable but it gave me an insight into what they must be feeling xD
> 
> Internet sources tell me Froot Loops are an American cereal, since we don't have them in the UK. From looking at photos, they look brightly coloured enough to be something Holtz would enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Abby didn’t stay asleep for much longer. Erin soon found herself with two sick people to look after, both of whom were fond of making a fuss.  Patty being well enough to help out was a great relief though, since it meant that one of them could go fetching things while the other stayed to keep an eye on their patients.

“Erin?” asked Abby, and Erin looked up from where she had been absent-mindedly playing with Holtz’s hair. Abby waved her hot water bottle in the air, a hopeful smile on her face.

“Ok, just give me a second,” Erin said, now faced with the problem of removing Holtz’s head from her lap. Patty had volunteered to go down to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine and comfort food, so Erin was alone on nurse-duty.

Holtz seemed to have dozed off while Erin had been playing with her hair, but her attempts to wriggle out from underneath her head proved futile very quickly. “Nooo,” Holtz groaned, clinging onto Erin’s leg.

Erin couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll be back soon,” she promised, gently prying Holtz’s hands off and easing her head onto a nearby cushion. Taking the hot water bottle from Abby’s outstretched hands, Erin took it into the kitchen and refilled it with warm water.

“Erin?” Abby called again, and Erin hummed in response. “Can I have any painkillers?”

“Not until you’ve eaten something,” Erin said as she walked back over to the living room, causing Abby to groan. “Patty’s getting you some soup down at the shop, so if you feel up to it you can have one of those when she gets back. Until then you’ll have to cope with this.”

Abby groaned again, taking the hot water bottle from Erin. Her hair had mostly escaped from her usual updo during the night, so Erin gently removed the hair tie in a bid to make her more comfortable. “Thanks,” Abby murmured, turning to lie on her back.

“You wear your hair up so much I always forget what it looks like down,” Erin commented, sitting down with her back against the coffee table so she could talk to Abby. From where she was it looked like Holtz had fallen asleep again, so Erin didn’t want to disturb her.

Abby let out a tiny laugh. “It gets in the way too much. If you need conformation of that, ask Holtz why she never wears hers down while working. She’s got some crazy stories.”

That didn’t surprise Erin in the slightest, but she made a mental note to ask Holtz when she was feeling a little better. “One of many reasons why I just do theory,” she said, grinning.

“Theory’s all well and good, but you miss out on the fun stuff,” Abby said, rolling her eyes. The theoretical vs practical debate had been an ongoing thing since their college days, since Erin was much more comfortable with a marker pen in her hand than a soldering iron while Abby was happy to jump between the two. The stakes had only been raised when Holtz, whose lifetime loyalty lay with practical physics, had joined the fight.

Erin huffed. “I also miss out on broken finger from operating a machine while hung-over, if you remember correctly!”

“Abby, you never told me that!” said Holtz groggily, a spark of interest in her tired eyes.

Patty’s return was announced firstly by footsteps on the staircase, then a yell of “Patty’s home” that had both Abby and Holtz covering their ears.  “I got Cup-A-Soups, Pringles, porridge, mac n cheese, and enough Tylenol to equip an army.”

Abby let out a sigh of relief. “My soup is calling for me,” she said, making grabby-hand motions in the direction of the kitchen.

“I can fix that up for you. But no food for Holtzy yet,” Patty said, giving Holtz a stern look.

“Normally in the presence of Pringles I would protest but right now I’m good with that,” Holtz groaned, pulling her blanket up around her ears.

Patty shook her head exasperatedly. “That’s what you get for trying to down a whole box of Froot Loops. Those things are way too colourful to be healthy.”

“Holtz did what?” Abby said, sitting up suddenly and glaring at her. Holtz only retreated further under her blanket so only a few blonde curls were visible.

“You bet your ass she did,” Patty continued, and Erin nodded as she passed Abby her glasses. “Kept it down for a whole 2 minutes before barfing all over the floor.”

Abby buried her head in her hands , looking in Holtz’s direction through the gaps between her fingers.“Seriously, you are a liability.”

Holtz peered out from under her blanket, her face a mask of sheepish guilt. “You know you love me really,” she said, and Erin was sure that Holtz was looking predominantly at her.

Choosing to ignore Holtz’s comment in favour of giving Erin a significant look, Patty approached the living room carrying two steaming bowls. “Abby, I got your soup here,”

“Patty you are an angel,” Abby said, eagerly taking the bowl from Patty and sitting it in her lap.

“Don’t you dare eat that too quickly, I am not clearing up more puke this morning.” Patty said firmly before giving Erin the other bowl. It was her favourite oatmeal porridge, topped with honey just as she liked it. “I didn’t think you’d eaten yet today. We gotta keep you well, or we’re all in for it.”

Erin laughed, not realizing how hungry she was until she’d taken a mouthful “Thanks Patty. Honestly I’m amazed I haven’t got it.”

“Yet,” said Holtz in an ominous tone, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh you’d better hope she doesn’t get it. Erin Gilbert turns into a grumpy beast when she’s ill. It’s like trying to comfort a wounded lion.” Abby warned darkly between spoonfuls of soup.

Patty was laughing so loudly that Erin had to wait a moment before making a meek attempt at self-defense. “I did have glandular fever.”

“Hey, ain’t that the kissing disease?” Patty asked, bursting out laughing again when Abby nodded.

“Who did you kiss?” asked Holtz, propping herself up using one elbow and looking far too interested.

Erin was grateful when Abby answered on her behalf, taking the opportunity to eat some more of her porridge. “Got snogged in the café when she gave some random guy a coffee. It was finals week and he’d clearly pulled an all-nighter.”

“I don’t need coffee to do that, but a kiss from a pretty girl would never be turned down.” Holtz said slyly, causing Erin to blush in horror.

“I guess Holtzy’s feeling better,” Patty commented, and Abby let out a snort of laughter.

Holtz looked very proud of herself. “I will look after you, Erin,” she vowed, grinning brightly.

Erin gave a genuine smile, though it was hard to take Holtz seriously while she was cocooned in a blanket with her hair sticking out in all directions. “Thanks Holtz,” she said, before taking another mouthful of porridge.

“Hey, how about a movie day?” Patty asked, falling back onto the sofa beside Abby. “There’s some good Christmas stuff on Netflix these days.”

Grateful for the change in subject, Erin finished the last of her porridge before standing up to take her bowl to the kitchen. “Abby, did you still want those painkillers?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Abby sighed, passing Erin her empty soul bowl.

Patty hadn’t been underestimating when she’d said they had enough Tylenol to supply an army; Erin lost count after 10 boxes of tablets. After taking Abby a glass of water and box of tablets, she returned to the kitchen to make a coffee for herself and Patty.

Abby’s outraged tone made Erin laugh as she returned to the living room, sitting down on the sofa with Holtz. “Erin, back me up here. We are not watching the Lampoon Christmas film!”

“Aw come on, that’s a classic!” Patty protested.

Erin shook her head firmly. “No way. We watched in college one time and it took a lot of alcohol to make it through to the end.”

Patty gave Erin an insulted look. “Then you clearly don’t know how to spot a good Christmas film.”

“What about Love Actually? That’s a sweet film.” Erin suggested, drawing her legs up onto the sofa.

“Too straight!” Holtz immediately yelled, startling Erin so much she almost spilled her coffee.

Grimacing slightly, Abby nodded. “She’s got a point, though in my opinion it’s just too much romance althgether.”

“Girl, it is what it says on the tin. There ain’t no surprised here,” Patty said, continuing to scroll through the films. “Ooh, what about Home Alone? Now that takes me back a few years.”

“You’ve got my vote, I always loved those booby traps,” Holtz said, sitting up with her knees to her chest.

Erin and Abby both nodded their agreement, so Patty pressed select before going into the kitchen. Erin heard the microwave beep before Patty returned with two bowls of popcorn, handing one to Erin and putting the other between her and Abby.

“Am I allowed to have any food yet, Nurse Gilbert?” Holtz asked her quietly, giving her a puppy-eyed look.

It had been a few hours since the Froot Loops incident, so Erin nodded. “Go on then. But take it slow, and please stop if you’re not feeling well.”

Holtz grinned. “Thanks Erin,” before taking a massive handful from the bowl. Erin was having flashbacks of the Froot Loop incident and was about to yell for Holtz to stop, before she surprised Erin by putting only a single piece in her mouth.

Erin let out a quiet laugh. “That’s more like it.”

They fell silent as the film started, Erin finishing her coffee and putting the cup on the floor so she could lean back more comfortably. This was another film that she instinctively linked to her college days, since it had been in cinemas the December of their freshman year. They had gone to see it together as soon as it had been released, and had done the same with the sequel two years later.

Erin shivered as the room chilled significantly, glancing at the window to see that it had started snowing again outside. She left the comfort of her sofa to fetch herself a blanket, tucking it around her as she settled back down. Glad that her friends all seemed to be on the road to recovery, Erin rested her head on her arm and gave a contented sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter left of this! I'll probably update the College AU fic first though, to get some variety going. 
> 
> Erin's opinions are my opinions about the Lampoon Christmas movie, and Abby's are mine about Love Actually xD
> 
> I've started doing ghostbusters moodboards which are pretty fun, if you're curious then drop by lailaliquorice.tumblr.com to have a look :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a British girl trying to write American fic for the first time, so apologies if there are any very British things in here. I did try to root them out.
> 
> Also, apologies if the Holtzbert romance isn't as obvious as you might have expected. I'm on the aromantic spectrum so have little idea of what romance feels like, so struggle writing it without feeling like I'm going completely over the top.
> 
> Those two points aside, I hope you're enjoying it!


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